


Stolen Heart

by Supernova95



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-03
Updated: 2013-04-16
Packaged: 2017-12-07 09:27:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/746937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Supernova95/pseuds/Supernova95
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim is the son of the king, Jason is not; but they fall in love anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lost

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Star_Nymph](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Nymph/gifts).



Princes shouldn't be out playing in the lower town. It wasn't safe in the city of Gotham for young little heirs to be away from the citadel. Not like his previous home in the city of Bristol.  **His**  kingdom, with its glistening towers and sparkling waterways, it's far stretching green pastures and deep forests. Where all the people were bright and carefree and treated everyone alike; where everyone was like family.

Gotham was not like that, not like that one bit. It was dark and sooty, it had tall buildings but the roofs were slate and black from the coal burning fires, the streets were dirty despite countless efforts to clean them up. The people were- different. They didn't hate each other, no, but they weren't a family. They were proud of their home without making the conscious effort to make it better than it was. They were a people who had little but wanted for less. They were a people easily pleased and even when their king tries to make them better, make their home better, they don't respond easily.

It's not like they mean it, but people who have always had a system, a way of life that tells them this is how it's supposed to be, they dream of nothing and do nothing.

But he really shouldn't be in the lower town without his new family or an armed guard. People go missing, never to be found again, from the lower town. The streets are so close, so cold and dark that a small tiny boy could get easily lost, taken.

He didn't like being left alone; he didn't mean to get lost.

"Who are you?" it was a small voice coming from behind one of the many coal piles. "Are you lost?" eyes appeared, followed by a face as the boy, who couldn't much older than himself, appeared into the dim light of the alley way.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to, my father is going to be so worried, I need to get home. Could you direct me back to the citadel please?" the other, older boy stared at him for a moment before grabbing him by the top of his shirt and pulling him into the back of the alley and pushing him against the wall with one hand. The boy turned to the alley, this eyes darting through the darkness, searching for something, something that he obviously didn't find because his shoulders soon sagged, he relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.

"Sire, with all due respect, what the hell do you think you are doing here?" their eyes locked his were a deep blue, green tints being highlighted in the low light, and breath-taking. You could immerse yourself in them for hours and not notice the passing of time; you could drown in them and not care one bit. In other words they were perfect.

"I… I don't know, I was with my family one minute and then I wasn't and… I… I'm scared" tears beaded his eyes making the world shimmer and blur.

"Hey, Sire, it's gonna be okay, I can get you home, okay, you've just got to trust me"

"With my life"

"I'm Jason by the way"

"Prince Timothy… but you can call me Tim"

 


	2. Found

“Daddy!” the little boy, dressed as what can only be described as a chimney sweep, ran up to the King dodging the many attempts by guards at trying to stop him. The boy looked no more than eight, though, due to his size, he could be as young as five; the distance between them was still too great for him to get a good look but the child was wearing a scruffy fabric shirt that was obviously too big for him, kept in place by an equally large belt that, instead of being fastened was tied in a knot. Over it he wore a black waist coat, and under, also held up by the belt, he wore a pair of simple trousers. 

At their current range you couldn’t differentiate his soot covered face from his black hair, but you could see his eyes; deep deep blue. The colour of their most expensive semi-precious stone; Lapis Lazuli, beautiful and unique to only one person,

“Timothy!” now the king too was running, but was obstructed by guards “Stand down; that is my son” the guards nearest Timothy ceased their chasing immediately, allowing his son to launch himself into his father’s waiting arms. “Timothy, where have you been? We’ve been worried sick.”

“Well I got lost and then I met Jason who helped me get back here” He had never seen Timothy’s face so bright; whoever this Jason was, he had certainly made an impression.

“And where is this Jason?” Timothy beamed at him before turning to the citadel gates

“He’s right ther-” before the king could stop him Timothy had jumped back out of his arms and was dragging him to the gate “ **Jason** ” the distress in his son’s voice was painful to hear, it was a high pitched keen that would have broken a few windows had there been any around. Timothy’s head was frantic in searching the entrance to the citadel for his new found friend “JASON!” he tried again but the older boy was nowhere to be found. “He was just here and I said that he should come meet everybody and -… daddy?” He knelt down in front of his son, soothing his hand through Timothy’s hair and smiling encouragingly; “Why would he leave?” the softness of Timothy’s already quiet voice was enough to melt even this battle worn king’s heart of ice.

“Jason was probably a little overwhelmed. That can happen, not all of us have grown up living in castles like you my little Timothy.” His son nodded, his face crumpling on concentration for a minute before a bright idea flashed in its features,

“Can we go find him? I- I mean, we went to his house to find me some less con-conspi-constpic-”

“Conspicuous?”

“Uh-hu,  conspicuous clothes… but his mother is sick and so I maybe thought that we could bring her up here so Mr Aelfread  could make her better and he could come to dinner with us and he could meet Dick and then we could thank him properly for saving me because he refused everything I tried to give him and he wouldn’t even take my cufflinks” Timothy pointed to an unassuming sack by the gate that the king assumed was his said clothes.

“I think that’s a lovely idea”

-

In lower Gotham you know something’s wrong when there’s a  _knock_  at your door, most people just walk straight in.

“Jason Todd?” It was a formal sounding voice, probably a policeman from the upper town…

“Comin’ I promise I ain’t done nothing” A guard it was not, and a look of horror plastered his face, “Sire, I-I apologise for my language, or lack of it”, and he completely blames the fact that his head was bowed as to why he didn’t see the oncoming ball of child that promptly barrelled into him and attached itself to his side.

“Jason!” he staggered back a few paces before returning the hug with a fond smile, and before he knew it he was sitting at his poor excuse for a dining table with King Bruce and Prince Timothy-

“I really can’t leave at the moment, I’m sorry. My mama’s really sick and she needs a lot of care.” He rung his hands in his lap, he didn’t know what the king was going to do. Jason had been told stories about the king and the queen and their hearts of stone; especially when it came to the likes of those from the lower town.

There was a small tugging on his shirt “We know… we were wondering if you would let us bring both of you up to the citadel, so Mr Aelfread could cure your mum and you could have dinner with us” Jason was gobsmacked, the king of the stories he had heard would never do that…

“Why… why would you do that? People here have been suffering for years and as much as we’ve tried to stop it  **you’ve**  done nothing to help.”

“No- Jason you don’t understand-” Prince Timothy- Tim looked ashamed,

“It’s okay Timothy-“

“No it’s not! He doesn’t understand, he needs to understand” Tim had a fire in his eyes Jason had never seen before, which quickly faded when the king places a hand on his shoulder and Tim’s eyes dropped to glaring daggers in his lap.

“Jason, I don’t know what you’ve heard, but… I’ve been away for a long time. After my parents died, I was sent away for my own ‘protection’ and the throne of Gotham was entrusted to the King and Queen of Bristol, who were friends of my parents, to look after until I came of age.

“They didn’t care as much for Gotham as they did for Bristol, and they especially didn’t care for the lower town. Therefore when I came of age six years ago, I started putting measures in place; but these things take time” Jason couldn’t look more sceptical, for an eight year old he had some pretty revolutionary ideas. No, revolutionary was the wrong word; what he got from Jason, the sceptical but almost pleading looks and good natured, proactive vibes he felt, were far more concordant with his own vision for the future than anyone he had ever met before.

They sit for a long time Jason weighing everything up, until,

“Okay”

Tim squeaked, he does that a lot.

And then his had was in Jason’s and pulling, he does that a lot too.

“Mr Aelfread, Miss Leslie he said yes, may you come help us please?”

“Of course little one… Jason” the woman smiled brightly as she walked through the door quickly followed by an older man.

They were dressed in traditional healer clothes; natural colours, loose fitting garments and so many pockets you could find yourself lost in them. Jason knew Leslie, she ran the free clinic a few streets away, she was helping his mama, but he didn’t know the man.

“Ma’am” he nodded to her, as was the proper thing to do, and then he bowed lightly to the man “Sir, my mama’s this way” Jason walked off towards the back of the house, Leslie and Aelfread following. Tim decided to stay behind; Jason’s mama’s room barely fit two let alone four if he was there also he would only get in the way, even if he is small.

So instead he curled up on his father’s lap, a soothing hand running through his hair lulling him to sleep, it had already been a long day after all.

-

It was well into the evening before Tim found himself being gently shaken awake by Jason. He was back in his quarters in the citadel. His vision slightly blurry, Tim rubbed his fists to his eyes a small yawn escaping his throat. It was dark outside; he could see the lights of Gotham dancing like wisps of a bonfire slowly shimmering in the warm Gotham breeze. It was a beautiful sight and Tim liked to sit on his windowsill and watch the world go by long into the night; not something a young prince should be doing Mr Aelfread assured him. But it seemed like most days he had nothing better to do; what with him being too young to attend court with his father, and his training with Dick only lasting the morning as to not tire him out, sitting on his window ledge with a volume of one of his many books seemed like the most pleasing thing to be doing.

As it had it that was pretty much all his room was, shelves and shelves of books, with a few pretty pictures and tapestries decorating the parts of the cool grey stone walls that had not been able to fit a case for his books.

Tim liked to read, liked it a lot. It was said to be amazing that he could read so well at such a young age, and many visitors to Gotham often asked for details about his tutor, only to be told that he taught himself.

There was definitely nothing better to do in the High Palace of Bristol. With its empty halls and emptier throne.

“Prince Timothy, Master Aelfread sent me to fetch you, it is time for you to get ready for dinner” Jason’s rough but childish voice breaking him out of his almost trance like remembering; which was when he realised he must look a state, and the way he shot to his bathroom made Jason bark, a rich and full laugh. “Do not fret my Prince, the King had bathed you and set out attire for you to wear this evening after putting you to bed” He held up the small dress suit that his father had made for his last birthday “He said you were quite compliant in you bath taking, even though usually you make such a fuss, and Master Aelfread asked me to pass on his congratulations on ‘acting like a proper prince for once’.” Tim could tell Jason was muffling a giggle and he huffed,

“I do not remember this” this time a snigger left Jason’s lips as he handed the clothes over so Tim could get dressed,

“He did not think you would my Prince, you were quite asleep at the time” Jason’s next laugh was cut short by Tim stepping out from behind his dressing shield, as his eyes went wide and a grin spread over his face, “Quite dashing my Prince”

It was then that Tim realised Jason also had been given a change of clothes, one of Dick’s suits, a page’s dinner suit. “So are you Jason” and just like that he grabbed Jason’s hand and dragged him out of the room.

“How is your mother?” it is the most obvious reason as to why Jason woke him and not Mr Aelfread,

“She is doing better, on the cusps of being awake when I left; your physician is a miracle worker she has not been like this in weeks.” Tim squeezed Jason’s hand as they made their way to the Dining Hall,

“I’m glad” they reached the hall walking side by side, each other’s hand still in the others’ firm grip, neither wanting to let go. But it was improper for a prince to be holding hands with a simpleton boy from the lower town; so Jason relinquished his grip sadly, he heard but a small squeak from Tim though he did not fight the removal.

Jason took a deep breath; how hard could dinner with the King, his entire court and the Prince, whom he cannot become friends with even though he very much wants to, be?

Perhaps it’s better not to answer that question.


End file.
